The Huntress and the Heiress
by Radpipe
Summary: Weiss meets one of the legendary hunters, who sends her spiraling into a world unknown to the heiress. Finding herself entranced not only by this new world, but the hunter as well, Weiss must try her best to hold firm onto her new life. Medieval AU.
1. The Heiress

Weiss Schnee looked at the full body mirror, inspecting every detail of herself until she was sure she looked perfect. Making sure her armor was fastened properly one last time, she walked out of her tent.

Taking a survey of the camp, she barely registered the two guards outside of her tent giving their greetings. Twenty soldiers. That's how much father had allowed her to take. Her father letting her pick out her own soldiers, let alone go on her own mission was quite a surprise, considering the level of protection he used to exert over her.

Smiling inwardly, she could feel the pride well up within her chest. Weiss could finally make a name for herself, not one given to her by her blood lineage or family's merits, but one constructed from the deeds she herself accomplished.

She sighed. Of course, her father restricted two of the spots in her squad to two soldiers he trusted. Yang Xiao Long and Blake Belladonna. The former, called the 'Dragon's Flame', a renowned brawler, with no records of a lost fight. The latter, a complete opposite to Yang, with no records at all. The only thing known about her was her love for books, and that she was easily the most deadly ninja in the world. With the two of them in her squad, there should've been no way for anything to go haywire, but like all things in the real world, nothing ever goes as expected.

Weiss' first official mission was rather simple, a patrol to the northern wall, checking up on villages as they went, and to offer assistance to those in trouble. Weiss knew why her father had sent her to the northern wall. The reports that came from the northern direction stated that they were always fine, never any trouble coming from there.

Deflating a bit, Weiss continued the inspection of the camp, killing time until they were ready to move out.

The only seriously dangerous part came from the wall itself or rather what came from outside the wall. Grimm. The Great Northern Wall had been placed centuries ago, protecting humans and faunus alike from the grimm that continuously traversed the outer areas of the realm. The only ones that ever went outside the wall were the famous Hunters and Huntresses. When Weiss had asked just how powerful the Hunters were, her father had told her that he had seen one take out a hundred grimm alone, while it took about five average soldiers to take out one.

Annoyingly, to both Weiss and her father, Hunters were rare, and extremely hard to find. Out of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers her father had in the army, there was not a single Hunter among them.

Weiss looked up at the sun, noting it was about time to move on.

They were getting close to the wall now, the top of it appearing just over the horizon. Glancing back over her shoulder, Weiss could see Yang trying her best to get a conversation going with Blake, but the latter was proving to be especially engrossed in today's book.

Blake was the first to notice it, suddenly putting away her book, her hand resting on the sheath of Gambol Shroud. Weiss was glad she happened to look back, immediately calling for the squad to halt. Chatter, horse's movements, wheels rotating, everything stopped. There was no sound. That was exactly what Blake had picked up on. There should've been the noises coming from birds, critters trotting about, branches cracking underneath the footsteps of animals seeking food, but there was nothing.

Weiss had never seen everything go so wrong so quickly. Luckily for her, she had just gotten off her horse, the process of bending over as she landed saving her from the arrow embedding itself into the horse beside her. It wasn't just one arrow, along the sides of the path and coming from the forest surrounding them came a hail of arrows. Already half her soldiers were gone, Blake was nowhere to be seen, and Yang was hauling another soldier to the ground along with her.

Hearing a battle cry coming from behind her, she whipped out Myrtenaster in a flash, embedding itself into the throat of the man rushing her. Pulling it out, she heard the telltale noises of Yang's Ember Celica smashing into her own foes, and throughout the forest she could hear the random cries of pain, likely coming from Blake's stealthy approach to combat.

It had seemed like they were going to win the battle, despite the heavy ambush they had run into, Weiss deftly moving about, picking off targets she deemed hazardous to Yang, who was simply locking onto the closest one and beating their heads in. That is, until one of them appeared. A grimm. Weiss was glad she had payed close attention to her grimm studies, identifying the one in front of her as an ursa major, but there was a difference between knowing it and actually seeing it face to face.

Bumping into the back of a tree, Weiss was forced to attempt to block the ursa's strike, but was not expecting the strength that came behind the strike and was sent flying into another tree. Vision dimming, she could barely hear the shouts of her name. Weiss felt something sticky coming from her abdomen, and looked down to see blood leaking out from the wound the ursa had inflicted. Seeing a shadow appear on her, she looked up into the red eyes of the grimm, and passed out.

The rhythmic thumping was almost calming. If it weren't for the pain Weiss was feeling each time the thump came, or the fact that she was being kidnapped by an ursa. The first thing she had done upon waking up was to not alert the ursa. She was being carried over the shoulder of the ursa, who was making its way deeper into a forest, this one looking different from the one she had previously been in, greens covering every inch of it.

Subtly, she looked over the ursa's shoulder, seeing the top of the Northern Wall disappearing over the horizon. Panic stirred in her, realizing that the wall disappearing didn't mean she was being brought back into her own country, but further outside the wall.

Weiss took a deep breath, mind racing to figure out how to take out the ursa. _Clink_. Myrtenaster. Her rapier was hanging on to a torn piece of her combat dress, barely clinging on. Waiting for when a thump came, she raised her arm swiftly and took hold of the weapon, plunging it deep into the shoulder she hung off of. The ursa roared, leaning over in pain. Weiss took the advantage, standing up fully on its shoulder and took her rapier out of the shoulder, stabbing the ursa in the back of the head.

As the body disintegrated, Weiss jumped off, almost collapsing on the spot with how weak she felt. Her torso was still bleeding, for how long she was unsure, the canopy of the forest making it impossible to see the sun.

At some point during her surprise attack, the forest had become even more dense with greens, blocking out her view behind her, making her question which direction she had even come from.

A smell infiltrated her nostrils, one of burnt wood. Stealthily, she weakly made her way towards the smell, keeping her sight on her surroundings. Stopping in front of a bush, Weiss could tell the smell was just on the other side. Ever so slowly, she moved aside the bush, but didn't see the indent in the ground in front of her, causing her to roll forward and plop down into the middle of a clearing, eyes looking up into the sky.

"Uh… hi there?" The voice was small, uncertain, as though questioning whether or not she was truly seeing what lay before her. Weiss turned on to her side. A girl, probably just as old as she was, dressed in a mixture of red and black, was sitting on a rock, hands held out towards a campfire.

"Hello-." Weiss' voice cut out as her consciousness faded out again.


	2. The Huntress

Weiss woke up, head feeling dizzy as she slowly sat up. Waiting a few minutes to clear her senses, she looked over at the warmth emanating from beside her, and saw the campfire. Confusion alighted within her, until she recalled the events that had played out before, a small headache making its way in.

Hurriedly, she looked around the small camp, searching for the girl she had seen before. Her foot tapped something, and upon further inspection realized it was Myrtenaster. Hearing a rustling coming from the bushes on the opposite side of the camp, she sat there, rapier in hand as she waited for whatever entity it was to come out.

The girl from before appeared, dragging a sled behind her, mixtures of dead rabbits and squirrels sitting on it. Weiss watched as the girl hummed lightly, methodically beginning to work on the rabbits and squirrels, until she had the essentials.

A sudden itching feeling came to Weiss' throat, forcing her to cough and expose her awareness. The girl looked over in surprise, letting a gentle smile overtake her features. "Oh hey, you're finally awake, was kinda hoping my first time seeing someone out here wouldn't be a dead person."

Weiss watched in silence, the girl beginning to fidget nervously under her gaze. Slight amusement twinkled in her eyes, before deciding to finally end the girl's misery. "Who are you?"

The girl walked up to Weiss, who tightened her hand on Myrtenaster. Stopping right over Weiss, she leaned over and stuck her hand out. "I'm Ruby, nice to meet you!"

Weiss stared at the hand for a second, then looked back up into the girl's eyes. Assured the girl wasn't attempting to do anything to her, she took the hand. "Weiss."

Ruby nodded, turning around, she started her work on the small animals again.

"Why did you save me?"

Ruby turned around again, looking at Weiss. "What do you mean?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, fixing Ruby with a glare. "I mean, why would you go out of your way to take care of me? I could be a murderer or someone sent here to kill you."

Not wanting to face Weiss' glare, Ruby looked down at the ground. "W-well, you were just sort of bleeding out there, and I couldn't just sit there and do nothing, plus you didn't look all that bad, in fact you look kinda pretty, and… uh…"

Both eyes were wide, Ruby quickly turning her attention back to her task in an attempt to hide her blush, while Weiss stared at the ground in front of her.

"I just… I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing I could've protected someone but I didn't."

Weiss sighed. Knowing she was being a bit too cold considering the girl had saved her life, she decided to hold back a bit on her bite. "Well, thank you."

Ruby turned her head for a second, offering a bright smile, then turned back, setting up the small animals to be cooked over the fire.

"So, whatcha doing this far out? You're the first person I've seen outside the wall."

No answer came, Ruby beginning to believe maybe Weiss hadn't heard her. "I was on a patrol, ambushed by savages, kidnapped by a grimm, and brought outside the wall, since you're so curious."

Ruby could hear the bitterness in Weiss' voice, internally flinching. "Well, you don't have to worry anymore, I'm combat ready!" Ruby grinned proudly, striking out a heroic pose, but deflated a bit as Weiss gave her a blank look.

"And what about you, what is a girl like you doing out this far away from the wall?"

"I live here."

Weiss blinked. "You what?"

Ruby sighed. "I live here!"

"You do know where we are right? In the middle of a forest where no civilization exists? In the middle of where grimm prey and eat on those unsuspecting?" By the end of it, Weiss was shouting, unable to understand how the girl in front of her could possibly live in the forest. The only way that were possible is if she were a… huntress.

Weiss eyes widened. There was no way that was true, unless Ruby aged extremely well, someone of her age couldn't possibly be one. The answer that followed her series of questions confirmed it, proud voice and grin accompanying. "I'm a huntress!"

Weiss narrowed her eyes, taking the grin on Ruby's face the wrong way. "Don't play games with me, this is a very serious situation, both of our lives are at risk!"

Dejected, Ruby eyes turned sad as she looked at Weiss, who felt a pang of guilt at having caused it. "Why, what's wrong with believing I'm a huntress?"

"How old are you?"

Ruby's eyes turned bright, grin back on her face, Weiss' mind giving her the image of a puppy. "Sixteen!"

Getting up slowly, Weiss turned around, stumbling away from the camp.

"Whoa whoa wait, where are you going?"

Weiss' exasperated voice came out while Ruby rushed towards her. "Away from you, since you can't even seem to take your own life seriously, I doubt you will take mine either."

As Weiss walked away, she looked down at her torso, noting the bandages that had been wrapped around it were done extremely well. Feeling another pang of guilt at treating the girl that had saved her life so coldly, she began to have second thoughts about leaving her behind.

Weiss didn't have the time to make a decision, two ursa majors suddenly bursting through the trees and heading straight for her. In a desperate attempt to somehow deter the two ursa, she whipped out her rapier and stuck it in front of her, hoping it would block the incoming blows, still too exhausted to use her glyphs. _Is this how I die? In the middle of nowhere, fading away into nothing?_

Time seemed to slow down as a rose petal fluttered about in front of Weiss' face. A gust of wind threw the rose petal away, and Weiss refocused her vision on the two ursa, only to find that they were disintegrating. Behind their bodies was Ruby, a scythe as big as her held out, indicating her previous horizontal swing that decapitated the two ursa.

Ruby folded the scythe, placing it on her back, smiling at Weiss. "Still don't believe me?"

* * *

As the day went on, Weiss couldn't help taking glances at the young girl tending to the camp. She had heard that it took years and years of training, and even then one wasn't fully prepared to be a hunter, more years of actual experience needed before becoming a proper one.

So how is it that a girl two years younger than her is already a huntress, and a full fledged one at that? Shaking her head, Weiss nibbled on the cooked rabbit Ruby had given her. Ruby seemed accustomed to life in the forest well, in fact, a little too well.

"How long have you been living out here?"

Ruby looked over at Weiss, smile ever present on her face while gorging on her share of the rabbits and squirrels. "Fow tee yurs."

Weiss glared at Ruby, disgusted at her attempt to speak while eating. "Ruby, for Dusts' sake, swallow your food first."

Ruby swallowed, a hint of embarrassment on her face. "Three years."

Yet again, Weiss found herself dumbfounded, the anomaly of the girl in front of her contradicting everything she was told about hunters and huntresses. They were supposed to be respectable, upstanding, courageous, dressed like heroes and spoke like heroes. This girl was the complete opposite. Almost like a child, Ruby danced around the camp with seemingly infinite energy, always occupying herself with something to do. The only part that seemed to apply to Ruby was the courageous part. She didn't even wear any armor, how could she expect to win if one hit could potentially take her out? In fact, now that Weiss was focused on it, Ruby was wearing a black blouse, a black waist cincher with red lacing and a skirt with red trimmings, and a bright red cloak secured with cross-shape pins to her shirt, and to finish off the whole red and black mixture, short red-tipped hair framing Ruby's face.

Weiss herself was garbed in lightweight small pieces of armor adorning her legs, forearms, feet, and a piece that stretched from her chest to her torso, so as to give her as much speed as possible. Underneath the armor she wore a pale blue jacket, over a similarly coloured thigh-length dress, with a piece of black lace making up the neck line. To top it off, her alabaster hair was tied in an off-kilter ponytail, a small tiara resembling icicles resting at the base.

Weiss felt a bit awkward, sitting there beside the campfire while Ruby went about doing whatever task she found necessary.

"S-so, what shall we do now?" Weiss asked, wincing at the stutter.

Ruby seemed to ponder for a moment before answering. "I guess we should get you back to wherever you came from, which is where?"

"Atlas."

Ruby's silver eyes widened. "Wait what? How in the world did you get all the way here from Atlas?"

"Patrol mission, remember? I told you shortly after I woke up." Weiss huffed out, crossing her arms in irritation.

Ruby giggled, scratching the back her of head awkwardly. "Oh yeah."

Silence. Weiss looked up, seeing Ruby's intent gaze focused on her. "What?"

"You were leading that patrol mission right?" A nod. "Does that mean you're a pretty high rank in the military?" Another nod. "Like super high?" A hesitant nod. "How high?" An irritated sigh.

"Does the name 'Schnee' ring a bell? As in 'Weiss Schnee'?"

"Nope~" Ruby replied, popping the 'p'.

Weiss was losing track of how many times in a row she could become irritated. "The family that rules Atlas and the northern countries?"

Ruby's mouth formed a small o, nodding in recognition.

Weiss couldn't believe this. _This must be a dream… right?_ Sneaking her left hand behind her back, Weiss pinched herself, flinching when she felt the pain. _Not a dream._ "Anyways, back to getting me to Atlas."

"Right, well," Ruby pointed at the darkening sky above, no longer being blocked by trees with the clearing they were sitting in, "it's almost dark, we'll have to wait until tomorrow if we wanna make it back safely."

"Aren't you supposed to be a huntress?" Weiss frowned, not at Ruby, but herself for once again bringing out her icy personality.

"Well~," A mischievous glint was in Ruby's eye, "you are right, but the problem is you aren't."

Weiss crossed her arms, glaring at Ruby, who only put her hands up in defense, sporting a wide grin.

 _This girl certainly is… unique. I could get used to this._ Looking away from Ruby, Weiss blinked at her own unbidden thoughts, deciding to banish them for the time being, accepting her body's request for more sleep. Laying back down on the fur bedding Ruby had provided, Weiss looked up at the now dark sky, stars twinkling merrily down at her. Closing her eyes, Weiss found a strange comfort in hearing the noises that came from whatever tasks Ruby was finding for herself, slowly falling asleep.


	3. Depths of Peril

**A/N: Thanks for the cool reviews folks. Hope you all have a good read, and don't forget, as long as criticism is constructive, it's always good criticism.  
**

* * *

"Wait, it'll take us _how_ long to get back?"

Ruby shifted nervously. "Half a day."

Ice blue eyes glared at the nervous girl. "You'd better have a good explanation for this."

Nodding vigorously, Ruby answered, "W-well, the area you came from is one of the more heavily infested areas. If we tried to go back that way, we'd have to fight through hordes of grimm, so we have to take a detour to a different area of the wall."

Weiss sighed, lightly rubbing her temples. "Alright fine, how long will it take to get ready?"

"We can leave right now."

Weiss blinked in confusion at Ruby, gesturing to the camp. "Don't you need to pack anything?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nah, the camp's made out of stuff I found from the area, only things I need are my clothes and Crescent Rose!"

"'Crescent Rose'?" Weiss asked, looking around them to see if there was a third person among them.

Ruby took out the folded form of her scythe. "Yeah, my scythe, Crescent Rose!"

Weiss only shook her head, slowly getting used to Ruby's oddness. She found her pleasantly weird. Ruby wasn't like other people, as far as Weiss could tell Ruby was always herself, never once putting on some sort of act to deceive, and for some reason Weiss' usual heiress personality never seemed to deter the young girl, who would only ignore it and continue whatever weird antics she was up to.

At first, Weiss had wished fervently that she could've found anyone else, even that young rookie, or what Yang liked to call him, 'Vomit Boy'. Looking at Ruby, they both nodded, ready to begin the journey.

When Weiss had woken up, Ruby had wasted no time in telling her just how dangerous the journey would be, and that if anything were to happen to Ruby, then she should run. Weiss didn't say anything, but her gut curled itself in displeasure at the thought of Ruby being harmed, let alone the thought of leaving her behind.

They exited the clearing, once again entering the dense forest, canopy blocking the sky from view once more. Weiss frowned at the sounds of nature, birds chirping, skittering of small critters, evidence of their homes laying about. She knew just how deceitful it made the forest, hiding the true monsters within.

Softly laying her hand on the hilt of her rapier, she casually observed the huntress leading, looking to all the world as relaxed as someone finding out they can sleep in for the day. Weiss knew though, within that girl was a force far stronger than anything she ever witnessed, besides possibly her own father and her mentor.

They continued walking for what seemed like an eternity, taking brief rests every now and then for Weiss, who was not used to the forest flooring. Weiss felt a tiny bit of annoyance every time they rested, Ruby would always look back at her, energetic as ever.

It wasn't until what Ruby deemed as the 'halfway point' where the atmosphere became darker, getting closer to grimm nests. They began walking carefully, every now and then hearing a loud thumping, coming from what Weiss assumed to be an extremely large grimm. _Probably a goliath or a nevermore_. Glancing over at Ruby, she wondered if she had ever fought one of them before. Weiss could only shudder at the thought of facing one, having only seen the pictures, but heard the stories of how scary they were.

Weiss froze. Ruby was a bit ahead of her, hiding behind a tree while she peeked around it, one hand lifted up signalling Weiss to stop. Had Weiss not been watching Ruby's face intently, she would've missed the millisecond of eyes widening, telling her of incoming danger.

Ruby jumped away from the tree, landing beside Weiss as the tree and the one beside it exploded, claws raking their way through. Behind the tree and settling debris the head of a grimm poked through. _Ursa major_. Weiss took a step back in fear the next second, the forms of two more appearing alongside it, flanked by two packs of beowolves, and a bigger, more heavily armored beowolf sat in the center.

"Remember what I said Weiss, if anything happens." Frosty eyes looked into stormy eyes. Hesitantly, Weiss nodded.

Then all hell broke loose. The beowolves rushed ahead of the ursai, attempting to rip apart the two as fast as possible. But Ruby was _much_ faster already decapitating several beowolves at once, before disappearing in a haze of rose petals. Weiss waited, Myrtenaster in hand, for the first wave of beowolves to reach her, systematically picking them apart when they reached her proximity of attack.

Weiss couldn't help focusing a small part of her on the sounds of Ruby's scythe, occasionally accompanied by what sounded like a crossbow, a quick glance confirming not only was it a crossbow, but it was attached to Crescent Rose. A small smile made its way onto her face, still finding more surprises at the oddity known as Ruby.

The smile was lost however, when the armored beowolf suddenly sped into Weiss, sending her tumbling backwards. Quickly, Weiss got back up, ignoring the scratches and bruises caused, and searched around for the armored beowolf, but only could only see the one remaining pack of beowolves, which was exterminated in an instant by Ruby, finding them in her way while she fought the ursai.

Weiss reacted on instinct, barely hearing the noise of something sharp cutting the air, ducking underneath the claws that swept at where her head had been. Weiss spun while stepping back, readying herself to parry and counter, but the beowolf didn't follow through with its attack, instead running back into the trees, back into its camouflage.

 _Damn, I'll have to ask Ruby about this grimm after the fight, it's drastically more intelligent than ones I just fought. A pack leader, perhaps?_ Weiss had no more time to consider, sidestepping the claws that shot out from a bush beside her, impaling the shoulder that flew past her and retracted her rapier before it would get pulled with it.

The beowolf didn't seem to care though, turning around, it lunged at Weiss. Readying herself, she brought her rapier up to parry, but surprise flowed through her when the beowolf stopped, bringing out its other claw to sweep at her legs. Settling for a high risk high reward move, Weiss jumped over the entire beowolf, stabbing downwards in hope of finding her mark. Pride removed the surprise flowing through, hearing and seeing the disintegrating of the body as she landed on the other side, simultaneously pulling her rapier out of its head.

Weiss heard footsteps behind her and turned around, Myrtenaster poised to strike. She lowered it a second later, seeing Ruby looking at her with a smile. "Weiss that was awesome!"

She flinched in surprise when Ruby suddenly bolted forward, enveloping the heiress into a warm hug. The surprise didn't come just from Ruby's hug, but from Weiss finding herself by no means angry that Ruby was touching her. The hug ended, and Weiss recoiled internally at her thoughts of wanting to be hugged again.

 _Stop, she's not even my friend, just someone who's trying to help me._ Her thoughts were interrupted by the remembrance of the armored beowolf. "Ruby, what was that beowolf I was fighting?"

"The armored one?"

Weiss nodded, "Yes."

"That was the beowolf alpha, they're pretty much better at everything compared to a normal beowolf."

Weiss grimaced, the small wounds on her evidence of Ruby's explanation. She flinched once more when Ruby was suddenly in her face, looking down at Weiss' body.

"Are you okay Weiss, did it hurt you?" Ruby asked quickly, concern laced with her voice.

 _Cute._ Weiss shook her head furiously, dispelling the sudden thought that had entered her mind. "No no, I'm fine, just a few scratches, nothing to worry about."

Ruby, still looking concerned, nodded. "Ready to keep going?"

Weiss sighed, it was only going to get more difficult from there. "Let us proceed."


	4. The Wall

**A/N: I'm curious, do you guys prefer long or short chapters? Also for those wondering about Bumblee, don't worry, it won't be much longer until they appear.**

* * *

Four hours had passed since the beginning of their journey. Weiss was exhausted, noting sourly that Ruby barely broke a sweat. Ever since their first battle, they only ran into little packs of beowolves every now and then. The trees had cleared a bit, the sky glowing down at them from the disappearance of the canopy.

Weiss looked up at the tree she was standing beside, face heating up as she caught view of Ruby's behind, who was at the top of the tree scouting ahead. Weiss looked away the moment Ruby looked down at her.

"I can see the top of the wall from here, we'll be there soon!" Ruby shouted from the top of the tree, oblivious to her teammate's ogling. Ruby jumped down from the tree, landing silently beside Weiss.

Ruby walked forward, planning to move on, but was stopped by Weiss' voice. "So how did you do that ability with the petals and what exactly was it? Teleportation? Freezing time?"

Weiss glared as Ruby laughed, hunched over, before calming down while wiping an imaginary tear. "Nah, it's just super speed, I can go really fast when I want, only downside is that I create petals, I don't know why."

 _I guess it makes sense I'm not the only one that can use special abilities, it won't be much longer until my aura recovers enough to use mine_. Truth be told, Weiss hadn't wanted to mention her own abilities, still somewhat wary of the young girl, and because of the embarrassment that would be caused when she had to explain that she was still too exhausted to use hers. It didn't help that their breaks were so short.

Moving forward, Weiss was finally able to see the top of the wall, giddy at the thought of finally bidding riddance to the atrocious grimm forest. Though, a fear had come alongside it. Ruby had said that the closer they got to the wall, the more dangerous the grimm were, as they were attracted to the negative emotions inside the walls, they tended to bunch up at the base.

The plan was simple, with Ruby's speed she would carry Weiss and dash into the gate, while Weiss would use the last remaining fire dust she had to send a flare up as a signal for the guards.

The wall was in full view now, the sounds of grimm making their way from the wall, the two fighters slowly making their way through, hoping no stray branches were about. Weiss almost jumped in fright when a huge shadow went over them, looking up to see a nevermore flying above.

Weiss didn't realize just how close she was sticking to Ruby, almost pressing herself into Ruby's backside. Had she been able to see Ruby's face, she would've seen what could be equivalent to a volcano erupting. The feeling of Weiss' chest slightly grazing Ruby's back was doing no good, distracting her beyond all reason.

Both girls froze. A branch had snapped. They looked down, confusion alighting their faces when they realized neither had stepped on one. Ruby rolled to the left, Weiss to the right, both barely dodging the overhead haymaker sent their way. There was no need to figure out what to do from there, they already had a plan. Rush the wall.

Ruby made sure to keep the random spots of white in her vision, knowing if she moved too fast she would accidentally leave Weiss behind. All around her she heard the roars of grimm, trees being flung about and the thuds of heavy feet everywhere. Ruby could only hope Weiss was faring just as well.

Glancing to her right at the sudden spot of white appearing, she whipped out her scythe in crossbow mode, shooting a giant bolt towards an ursa rushing Weiss' side, and then spun around while transforming it into scythe mode, taking out the grimm attempting to blindside her. Folding her scythe back into storage mode, she used a bit of her aura to burst ahead before the grimm could surround her.

Right as her enhanced speed ended, the forest cleared away, flat land stretching to the wall ahead of them, now looming over them with how close they were. Turning around, Ruby froze. Weiss had just cleared the forest, and while Ruby was proud of the heiress for making it, the sight of what happened to Weiss brought fear into Ruby's heart. Blood. Weiss was limping heavily, wounds scattered throughout her body. _This doesn't make sense, I had her in my sight the whole time!_ The answer came right behind Weiss. A 'deviant'. A special grimm that could use aura, extremely rare, and extremely strong. In the split second that Ruby had looked away during her use of aura, she hadn't seen the deviant attack.

Ruby appeared behind Weiss just in time, blocking the waves of high pressure air being thrown at them from the grimm, no doubt it's special ability. Glancing behind her, Ruby could see Weiss was barely holding herself up, fear spreading throughout her body as Weiss heavily limped towards the wall, the promise of safety on the other side giving her the will to move.

Ruby barely saw the movement during her check up on Weiss, and it was too late to properly block. The claw would take off her arm, pressurized air shimmering around it as it sped towards her. _**Clang**_. Ruby's eyes widened, a blue glyph seemingly materializing out of the air, blocking the incoming claw. Taking advantage of the deviant still recoiling, Ruby focused her speed into her arms, bringing her scythe up and through the midsection of the deviant, Ruby subconsciously noting it had the body of a beowolf, but the size of an ursa major, the biggest difference was the way the bone armor was coloured red instead of the normal white.

Not wasting anymore time, Ruby spun around, folding her scythe away while dashing over to Weiss and picked her up bridal style. In the last bit of Weiss' consciousness, she aimed Myrtenaster up towards the sky and shot the flare. Luckily for the duo, none of the remaining grimm were old ones, and so none bothered to wonder why they had used up their fire dust on the flare.

Ruby deftly made her way through the horde of grimm, watching as the gate opened, guards with shields barricading the other side. Right as Ruby made it to the gate, the middle of the line of guards opened up, allowing her to speed right through and skid to stop. She looked back over her shoulder, watching as the gate closed behind them, a huge sigh of relief making its way through Ruby.

A moment later, the guards surrounded Ruby, and stepped back in surprise when they realized who she was carrying. Shouts were heard, guards immediately calling for medical staff, one guard that looked of higher rank directing Ruby towards where Weiss needed to be taken. Eventually, and much to Ruby's displeasure, Weiss was taken from her, rushed inside a room which was blocked off by two guards, telling her that she had to wait outside.

Every now and then one of the medical staff would leave the room, a different one entering, continuing all day long. Ruby's hopes were slowly diminishing, but she refused to give up on Weiss, seeing the heiress' strength first hand.

Feeling something gently shake her, Ruby slowly opened up her tired eyes, body still exhausted from the day's events.

"You are the one who brought in Lady Schnee, correct?"

Ruby looked up at the doctor for a second, blood staining his gloves and the forefront of his attire. "Yeah, that's me."

The doctor looked down for a second, taking off his mask, sadness most evident in his eyes. Dread gripped Ruby, who could only wait for the doctor's assessment.

"Please." Ruby had never used so much emotion before, let alone in one word.

"Lady Schne-... Weiss Schnee, she didn't make it-" The rest of the doctor's voice was tuned out by Ruby.

 _This can't be… there's no way she's dead, Weiss is strong, stronger than most people I've met throughout my entire life! There's no way she's dead!_ Ruby looked down at her hands, barely noticing the tears cascading down her cheeks. _Did I fail… again?_

"M-miss, would you like to see her?"

Ruby nodded, the act of getting up from position against the wall feeling like the hardest thing she'd ever done. She trailed behind the doctor, time seemingly slowing down as they entered the room. Gazing forward, Ruby saw the curtain blocking the bed of the one she had just met, the one who had returned the light of what being a huntress was about, the one who showed her a kindness where most did not.

Ever so slowly, the doctor moved the curtains back.

"A-are you…" a cough, "going to keep s-standing there and-" another cough, "k-keep staring or are you going to say…" one last cough, "hello?"

Ruby had never found herself smiling so hard before, and after a second, realized she had never found someone else's smile so utterly beautiful.


	5. A New Heart

**A/N: Thank you tons for the responses everyone, special thanks to Andrea Amai and Guest, your reviews helped me out quite a bit. I'll explain more at the end of the chapter.**

 **Edit: Changed a bit of the ending with this chapter, thank you 'You've got Fanfiction' for the notice. My beta had also told me the same thing, but I wasn't too sure at the time. It most definitely helps to see what you guys think, having more than one pair of eyes is always good.**

* * *

Weiss' ice blue eyes looked into Ruby's stormy silver. She had never seen someone so concerned over her, not even from her own father, and yet this person who she had just met already cried over her wellbeing.

"B-but, I don't understand, I thought you were dead!"

Weiss' eyebrows shot up, looking over at the doctor standing at beside Ruby, who seemed perplexed. "No Miss, I said she didn't make it _at first_ , but we were able to bring her back."

Ruby slowly walked towards Weiss' side, hand outstretched and trembling, tears threatening to fall pour once again. Gently, Weiss stuck out her left hand, meeting Ruby's and held on softly. Ruby collapsed, laying her head on the space beside Weiss', tears finally coming out, and choked out, "I'm so glad you're alive!"

Weiss sent a look to the doctor, silently telling him he could leave, and looked back at the crumpled heap before her. "Why in the world are you crying so much?"

Weiss flinched, having meant to sound more gentle, but her heart beat skyrocketed at the response. "Because you're my friend."

Ruby's head was up now, looking at Weiss, a massive goofy grin on her face. For what felt like the first time ever, Weiss smiled back, the weight of her title, her family, the expectations of those around her, for a moment was lifted. In that second, Weiss had one thought, everything else blanking out. _I think… I think I like her._ She saw Ruby eyeing her midsection, and nodded, knowing what Ruby wanted to do. Weiss was enveloped in a hug, head buried into Weiss' chest, while the heiress stroked the red-tipped hair softly.

An hour passed, Ruby eventually letting go, small talk consuming the time for the most part. The doctor came back, telling them he needed to do one last check up on Weiss. Ruby waited at first patiently, but was soon bouncing on the balls of her feet in anticipation of the answer.

"I'm sorry Lady Schnee, but you'll have to rest here for a week longer, the wounds weren't necessarily fatal themselves, as the blood loss was, so it shouldn't take too long to recover. We'll have someone come in intervals to give you food that'll help speed up the process, until then simply rest in the bed."

Weiss nodded and the doctor walked out, leaving the two alone. She had no doubt that soon word would get to her father, anxiousness overtaking her at the thought of the berating she would receive. Weiss could only hope she would simply be called a failure, but if luck decided to be angry with her, she'd probably never be allowed on another mission again. A random thought struck Weiss.

"So…" Weiss hesitated, "what are you going to do now?"

Ruby looked up at Weiss in surprise, only one response coming to mind. "Huh?"

Weiss looked down at her fidgeting hands, trying her best to hide the blush. "W-well, you helped me get past the wall, so there's nothing keeping you around anymore. If you want to go back outside of the wall, you can."

"What if I don't want to?"

"What do you mean?" Weiss' voice was shaking now, and she silently cursed herself for appearing so weak.

"You're my friend, right?" Hopeful silver eyes gazed back at hers.

Weiss closed her eyes, before reopening them and nodding firmly. "Yes, yes I am, and you're my friend too."

Ruby smiled. "Then shouldn't friends stick with friends?"

Weiss' heart caught in her throat. "I-I still don't understand."

Ruby looked towards the ground in front of her, eyes taking on a darker tone, which concerned Weiss heavily, having ever seen the young girl anything but energetically happy, aside from when she thought Weiss was dead. "Weiss, I've been to a lot of dark places, seen a lot of dark things, that's why I went out to live in the forest." Ruby sighed. "I couldn't take seeing all of that, so I left to a place where I could try and erase that darkness, the grimm."

Ruby quickly continued, stopping Weiss before she could speak. "But you showed me a something I haven't seen in a long time. Light. You're a truly good person Weiss, and I wouldn't have anyone else take your place."

Weiss shook her head, smiling tearily. "Y-you dunce, a heiress isn't allowed to c-cry."

Ruby hugged Weiss again. "You're not a heiress to me Weiss." Ruby pulled back, looking into Weiss' eyes. "You're my friend."

Ruby stood up, walking over to the doorway leading into the room and paused, angling her head to smile at Weiss.

"You rest up Weiss, I'll hang outside and wait for you."

Weiss smiled back at Ruby. "Thank you Ruby… for everything."

Ruby nodded, leaving Weiss alone in the room.

Weiss began to think about her feelings, happiness coursing throughout her. She had tried her best to hide her sexuality, her father having severely verbally abused her when he had found out. The memory had traumatized her young self, every time she thought about another female the way she thought about Ruby, her father's face would appear. But it was different. No faces appeared, no lingering words, only Ruby's smiling face, one that promised hope and peace.

Weiss looked down at her open hands grimly. Ever since she began to think for herself instead of letting her father do it, she had striven to stay away from the mentality that her father had tried to impose. Weiss couldn't let Ruby go, fearing that if she did, the chance for redemption would never come again, the chance to bring back the glory her family once held, gone forever.

Another realization struck Weiss. They barely knew anything about each other. Clearly, they were going to have to take a break from getting Weiss to Atlas. Even if it meant spending months to get to know each other, Weiss was going to try her hardest to show she truly cares for Ruby, considering how much the other had done for her, despite her frosty attitude. _She's already saved me twice, I owe her at least this much_.

* * *

 **A/N: To give a bit of reasoning behind the AN on the previous chapter, I know that I myself have a preference for chapters that are around 1k-5k words, so I myself have been aiming for that. It's good to see I'm not the only one.**

 **As for the Bumblebee part, I actually agree with the whole part of some authors putting it in just because, which annoys me as well. While I was writing out the seventh chapter, I was wondering if maybe I should put a bit more focus on them later on, but your reviews helped me realize that will take away from the main focus of the story, which is White Rose. To put it in simpler terms, it means I won't have random chapters dedicated to Bumblebee unless they're to advance the plot in some way, the story will almost always be focused on events happening with Ruby or Weiss.**


	6. Preparation

**A/N: Thank you tons for the responses everyone, the reviews have helped me immensely. I honestly did not expect my first story to get this much of a reaction.**

* * *

"You sure it's alright for you to walk around already?"

"Yes Ruby, I'm fine." Weiss replied.

"Well," Ruby stepped back, looking over Weiss, "yeah, I guess you're right, your aura did a pretty good job."

Weiss had been let out after three days, surprising the doctors who weren't aware of the aura Weiss possessed. She had set herself to recovering as quickly as possible, forcing herself to walk around without any help, much to Ruby's annoyance.

Weiss decided that morning that she would take a few laps around the barracks, the last test to make sure she was ready before they headed for Atlas.

"Hey Ruby?"

"What's up Weiss?"

"Do all the hunters have aura like you do?"

Ruby looked confused. "Well… yeah, it's a requirement to become one."

"Oh." Weiss looked down.

"Why do you ask?" Ruby tilted her head, enforcing the impression of a puppy on Weiss.

"For the longest time the only ones I've ever known to have powers like I do were my father, my mentor, my sister, and not long after me."

Ruby hummed in acknowledgment. "Yeah, the main difference between us and normal humans is that they can't control their aura, we can."

Weiss nodded. "I see."

"Oh yeah, what was that cool thing you used to block that one attack?" Ruby asked, excitement laced with her voice.

"My glyph?"

"Yeah, yeah, what was that?"

Weiss let a small smile appear, happy over the attention and excitement Ruby always seemed to send at her. "I have the ability to summon and control glyphs, giving them different attributes such as creating a wall or propelling something in a direction. I can also lace it with dust to add various side effects.

"Cool~." Ruby's face was close to Weiss now, causing the heiress to blush heavily at the proximity. Before she could lose her sanity, she spun around, continuing her final lap.

As they were approaching the last section of the lap, Weiss heard the footsteps beside her stop. Turning around, she arched an eyebrow at Ruby, who's face was downcast.

"Hey Weiss…" Ruby paused, unsure if she should ask.

"Ruby, whatever you want to ask, go ahead, I won't be angry."

Ruby smiled at Weiss, but it didn't reach her eyes, much to Weiss' concern. "You said you were travelling with a squad, right?"

Weiss nodded, but her eyes widened a second later, realizing what Ruby was about to ask.

"What happened to them?"

 _Oh no, I completely forgot about them. Are they still alive? What about Blake and Yang!?_ Her thoughts stopped, feeling hands on both of her shoulders. Weiss looked up into Ruby's face.

"Sorry Weiss, but we're going to have to take another detour." Weiss smiled. _Of course, I should've known Ruby would never let me leave them behind._

The duo finished the lap, Weiss proclaiming it was time to gather their things and find her squad. As Weiss prepared her equipment, she took glances over at Ruby, who was admiring the scenery of the terrain filled with hills. There was only one word Weiss could use to describe Ruby at the moment, hair flowing in the wind, sun shining over her face, silver eyes glowing. _Beautiful_. Weiss sighed happily, not realizing she had stopped and was staring at Ruby, who turned around to look at her.

"Are you sure you're alright Weiss?"

Weiss jumped, quickly stammering out a few apologies while going back to her preparations, heat radiating off her face. _Stupid, stupid._

Not long after, they stood at the edge of the wall camp, the guards forming behind Weiss and Ruby. Weiss stood there, amused at Ruby, who was somewhat hiding herself behind Weiss' shoulder while the guards proclaimed their good byes, not realizing her few inches of height over Weiss was making it ineffective.

Returning the good byes, the duo left, taking the path that left the camp.

They walked in a comfortable silence, both enjoying the company of the other while they watched the passing scenery. Eventually, night fell, and Weiss was glad she had taken some food with them, instead of accepting Ruby's offer of a 'true hunter experience'. Weiss watched as Ruby prepared the camp, sitting comfortably on a fallen tree trunk, eyes drooping slightly.

* * *

" _How dare you make a mockery of me!" Weiss felt a force rock the side of her face, falling over the chair behind her. She was openly weeping now, looking up at the figure standing over her._

" _You are my daughter, a Schnee, and Schnee's do not cry, nor are they weak!" This time a kick came to her ribs, sending her gasping for breath, head knocking into the foot of the chair._

" _I will not allow you to disgrace our family name!" Weiss watched in fear as her father took a sword from a display case beside him, aiming it at her._

 _Weiss closed her eyes, waiting for the sword to impale her. Waiting a few moments, she opened her eyes hesitantly, and was surprised at the sight before her. Ruby was standing in front of her, leaning down and offering her hand for Weiss. Grabbing the hand, she was pulled into a warm hug. "It's okay Weiss, I'm here for you."_

Waking up, Weiss lay there, staring into the slowly brightening sky. _What in the world was that dream?_ Deciding it was time to get up, she attempted to sit up, but found her right hand was being pulled. Looking over, she saw her and Ruby's left hand interlinked in between their fur beds. Noticing Ruby was still asleep, she carefully pulled her hand away from Ruby's hand, blush firing up Weiss' face..

Getting up, Weiss grabbed her rapier and walked a bit away from the camp. She settled herself in her usual combat stance, and then proceeded to duel an imaginary opponent.

Back in the camp, Ruby woke up, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands. Her ears perked at the sound of a blade whistling through the air, and stood up to find out the source behind it. Peeking around a tree, she watched Weiss go through her stances, moving with grace unknown to the world. Ruby stood there in awe, admiring the heiress, not even noticing the blush adorning her face.

Ruby squinted as the sun fully rose. She turned around and began to work on packing their beddings away. Ruby heard the crunching of leaves behind her. "Good morning Weiss!"

"Good morning Ruby." For a second, they both smiled at each other.

Hoisting the pack full of their belongings with a grunt, Ruby said, "Shall we go? I figure we can get there by the end of the day."

Weiss nodded, sadness etched on her face.

"Don't worry Weiss, we'll find them!"

But Weiss didn't seem to listen, looking down at the ground in front of her. "And what if we do find them?"

"What do you mean?" Ruby had a feeling where this conversation was going, but wanted Weiss to let it all out, knowing she was holding it all in.

"I mean, what if they hate me? What if they all blame me for the death of those in my squad? _My_ squad? What if they try to kill me because of that? Or worse, what if I'm exiled because of failure?! What if-" Weiss stopped, eyes wide when she felt Ruby's finger pressed against her lips.

Ruby's voice, filled with surprising seriousness cut through the air. "Weiss, who are you?"

"W-what?"

"I asked 'who are you'?"

Weiss' voice cracked. "I-I'm Weiss Schnee."

Ruby nodded. "And what do you want to achieve?"

"I want… I want to make a name for myself and protect the kingdom. Ruby, what does this-" Weiss was silenced once again by Ruby's finger.

"And how long have you been trying to achieve this?"

"F-for six years."

"So why are you giving up now?"

Weiss looked at Ruby, shock evident on her face.

"Are you telling me you're going to waste those six years you spent trying to achieve your dream? It's good to think about the bad possibilities Weiss, but have you considered that there are good possibilities too?"

 _Ruby's right, I'm such a fool for wavering now._ "Y-you're right." Weiss took a moment, composing herself. "Thank you, I really needed that." _I will reunite my squad._

Ruby smiled sweetly at Weiss. "No problem Weiss, that's what friends are for!"

Taking a step forward, Ruby latched onto Weiss' hand and began pulling her back to the path.

"Now c'mon, we need to get moving, not just for your sake, but your squad's sake as well."

Weiss shook her head, smiling at Ruby's constant energy. She looked up at the sky, face filling with determination.


	7. A Familiar Face

**A/N: Jeez, I'm starting to run out of ways to thank all of you (hopefully this counts as a new way). Also totally sorry for the delay, old clan members of mine wanted to do a game night on Saturday, and then Sunday I had to visit my older brother to get a haircut, and the whole process took about 5 hours. Whew! Enjoy the chapter folks!**

* * *

Weiss let out a small hum, analyzing the map held in her hands. "We should be getting close to 'Faraner'."

Ruby, a few steps ahead of Weiss, looked over at questioningly. Weiss sighed in annoyance, forgetting just who she was talking to.

"It's a village, though a rather obscure one, rarely ever sends in reports. I heard that in recent years it's run into financial trouble."

Ruby nodded, turning her head back to ahead at the path they were following.

"You'd best watch yourself while going through villages like these, the peasants have a tendency to be rather… brutish, if you will."

Weiss glared at Ruby, who was giggling ahead of her. "Y'know Weiss, you sound pretty cute when you use long words like that."

They both stopped.

"Wait, I didn't mean that." Weiss' glare returned tenfold. "No wait, I did mean that, it's just uh.. y-you're.. uh… I-I'll shut up now."

Ruby looked back at Weiss in surprise. The heiress had doubled over, clutching her stomach in laughter, Ruby joining seconds after. Resuming their walk in a pleasant silence, they made their way towards the now visible village.

They stopped right outside the village. The buildings where shabby, most were just small shacks, the 'road' was just a large muddy path, filled with random holes, and there seemed to be no people in sight.

Warily, they walked forward, sidestepping the holes while making sure to check their surroundings. Coming up to the center of the village came the first actual building, in fact, compared to the rest of the shacks, the building might as well have been a castle. A sign hung over the door, and upon closer inspection said 'The Lazy Hunter', Weiss smirking at Ruby, who only rolled her eyes.

"Must be an inn, shall we head inside? I for one would like to inquire about the welfare of this village," Weiss said.

Ruby nodded, opening the door, and they walked in. Immediately they were bombarded with the stench of alcohol and sweat, rambunctious laughter spilling throughout the air. Men of burly sizes surrounded the tables, all sorts of weapons hanging off of each of them. No one seemed to notice the duo, Ruby taking it to her advantage and put the hood of her cloak over her head, Weiss placing her hand on the hilt of Myrtenaster.

They walked towards the bar, the bartender busy at the other end with a huge man, great axe loosely hanging on the strap over his back. Weiss looked at the two closest stools, and frowned at the sight of the one closer to her. Ruby, with speed that went unnoticed by those around her, switched the stool out for one that was being used by a person behind them, who had just risen to clang his cup of ale with another. Had it not been for the gang of dangerous looking men, Weiss would've giggled, but instead chose to nod thankfully at Ruby.

The moment they sat down, their presence was noticed by the bartender, who slid over to them. "What'll it be…" the bartender paused, looking over the two in front of him, "girls?"

"Milk?" Weiss slapped her palm against her head.

"Ruby, there's no way-" Weiss watch, astounded when the bartender actually poured Ruby a cup of milk.

Taking a large gulp of her milk, Ruby smirked at Weiss, not realizing the milk moustache that had formed.

"You dunce."

The man with the great axe stood up, walking over to the two, stuck a stool between them, and sat down with a large grunt. "What're you two _fine_ ladies doing in this establishment? If you're lost, maybe I can help you out?"

Right before Ruby could retort, Weiss gently put her hand on Ruby's knee. Ruby looked at Weiss, who nodded forward, towards the tables behind the man. Everyone had stopped talking, cups no longer clanging.

"Sure, we're looking for a place to retire for the rest of the day, could you perhaps point us in the right direction?" Weiss smiled, but it wasn't just any smile. It was the deceptively cold smile that she had learned from her father. Ruby involuntarily shuddered beside her.

The man put his arms around their shoulders, forcing them up and walked them towards the stairs in the corner of the inn. The two girls tried their best to lean away from the awful breath infused with alcohol. Walking all the way to the end of the upstairs hallway, the man kicked in the door, and lead them into the room.

Pulling his arms off the two's shoulders, he walked over to the bed and sat down heavily on it. "So, how much will it be for the both of ya?"

"Will you give me a second? I need to discuss such a tempting offer with my partner." Weiss batted her eyes seductively. The man fell for it instantly.

Weiss pulled Ruby's shoulder, facing them away from the man and towards the still open door.

"Weiss, what in the world are we doing?" Ruby whispered, the tiniest hint of panic in her voice.

Taking a quick glance to make sure the man wasn't listening in, Weiss whispered back, "Ruby, I was able to sneak a look into the back room, I swear I saw someone tied up in there."

Seeing Ruby was about to do something drastic, Weiss quickly leaned in close, pressing their foreheads together.

"Trust me Ruby, just follow my lead." Slowly, Ruby nodded. Separating from each other, Weiss walked back up to the man.

"What'll it be, ladies?"

Weiss quickly stopped herself from frowning in disgust. "300 lien… each."

The man only smirked. Suddenly, the door slammed close behind them, and a yellow gas spread throughout the room. The man stood up, fastening a mask onto his face. _A trap!_ Weiss spun around, attempting to rush the door, but tripped over Ruby's collapsed body. Her head slammed into the door, vision fading away as the man walked towards them. The last sound she could hear before she lost consciousness was the mad cackling of the man.

* * *

Weiss groaned, feeling as though a hammer was knocking her head repeatedly, She tried to bring her hands up to her head, but found they couldn't pull away from her back. Cracking open her eyes, she found she was in a spaciously dark room. Weiss inched herself up until she was in a sitting position, and looked over her shoulder at her hands. A rough rope had been tied around them, tight enough to cause a bruise to start forming on both her wrists.

A soft groan came out, followed by a weak voice. "Ow… why does it feel like I got hit by a goliath?"

Weiss looked towards where the voice originated, and realized she wasn't the only one in the room. There were about four more people in the room all against the wall furthest from her. "R-" Weiss coughed, feeling her throat itch terribly, "Ruby?"

A shuffle from the one most left of the group. "Weiss, is that you?"

Weiss crawled over to Ruby, the younger girl pulling herself up to sit. "How're you feeling?"

Ruby checked herself over, experimentally stretching as much as she could, and found nothing wrong. "I'm fine, you?"

"Aside from possibly an earthquake in my head, I'm fine too."

A whimper sounded beside the two. The other three people were awakening, each of them sitting up. A panicked female voice arose from one of them. "Where are we? Oh Dust, are we dead? Am I in hell?"

Another female voice came out. "Shh, everything's alright. We're still alive."

 _That voice, it sounds… familiar._ Weiss tried to focus her eyes on the second person to speak, but it was too dark to see their features.

Heavy footsteps sounded from outside the room, pausing right outside the door. Jingling was being heard from the door, most likely being unlocked from the outside. Weiss searched for her and Ruby's weapons, but no luck. The door opened, light streaming into the room. Two men appeared in the doorway, neither Weiss or Ruby recognizing them.

"Stand up." The voice was gruff and impatient.

Hesitantly, the girls all stood up. Weiss tried to glimpse the one whose voice was familiar, but she was hidden behind the other two unknown females. A hand roughly grabbed her shoulder, throwing her outside the room and into a hallway.

Stumbling from the throw, Weiss looked around, and regretted doing so. As the girls were one by one thrown out into the hallway, Weiss saw the cells on one side of the hallway, faint signs of previous prisoners shown within what little she could see. On the other side of the hallway were rooms similar to the one they had been kept in, but all of them seemingly empty. _We're probably the new batch._

The two men came out, and began pushing them towards the stairs at the end of the hallway. A shoulder lightly rubbed against Weiss', and she took comfort in knowing Ruby was safe beside her. One of the men came around to their front, leading a sort of procession through the hallway and up the stairs. When they reached the top of the stairs, another heavily built door was there, and after a few minutes of unlocking, they were pushed out into an enormous room.

A church. The long benches weren't there, but the tapestries hanging off the walls and the stained glass were proof of the building. Standing in the middle of the room was the man from before with the great axe.

The man from in front of their group walked up to the one in the middle of the room. "Think they'll fetch a good price, Boss?"

Boss winked at the man. "Don't worry Fletcher, that one with the white hair will be more than enough."

The three men cackled as the double doors from the entrance of the church burst open. Four men walked in, garbed in black and white clothing, white masks that faintly resembled the grimm on their faces. Weiss' eyes narrowed, recognizing the group coming in. _The White Fang, but why would they be dabbling in human trafficking?_

The two groups faced each other, Boss and one of the White Fang members meeting in the middle. The girls were too far away to hear the whispered conversation between them, but they could tell exactly what was happening. They were going to be sold to the White Fang.

However, something else caught Ruby's attention, being the huntress she was, she had a knack for picking up even the smallest of movements. Weiss looked over to see what Ruby was looking at. It was the girl from before, the one Weiss recognized. She had bandages covering the top of her head, but what was most interesting was two little stumps on the top of her head. They were twitching minutely, almost as if they were… _Cat ears? Could it be!?_

The White Fang group started walking towards the group of girls getting ready to take them. Before Weiss could turn the girl with the bandages around to see her face, she disappeared into black smoke. Shouts were heard as the men were one by one being knocked out by a fast moving shadow. Weiss heard a small puff beside her and the shadow was joined by a red blur.

Within seconds, the men were all knocked out. Ruby stood in front of the knocked out men, grinning cheekily at Weiss. _Of course, she's a huntress after all_. Her attention turned over to the girl appearing from behind Ruby.

Amber eyes locked with blue. "Long time no see Weiss, I had a feeling you made it."

* * *

 **A/N Cont'd: For the reviewers mentioning the progression of the White Rose relationship, I can only ask that you trust me on this, I did sorta goof with the third chapter but the way it's at right now is the way I want it to be because of how it'll tie in with a few chapters later on, and eventually it'll all come together WAY later on in the story. However, I'm still happy that you guys noted the way it was paced, and I hope you continue to do so, especially if I accidentally did it (like I did in chapter 3). Constructive criticism is always appreciated!**


	8. Foreshadow

**A/N: Thank you again for the fantastic reviews! Not too much longer and the true story can get started. Also sorry again for the delay, I'll be back to daily updates next week.**

A sharp metal tip pressed against Weiss' throat. Amber eyes narrowed, silver eyes widened in surprise. Weiss stood stock still as a female voice spoke from behind her. "To think that the damn Ninja of the North was hidden among you. It's a good thing we laid an extra trap."

 _The two girls are bandits as well!?_ The other girl walked in front of the one holding Weiss hostage and spoke. "Now, why don't you put your hands behind your head while I tie you up? Don't want Miss White over here to get hurt, do we?"

The girl that had talked to Weiss was garbed in mostly black clothing, leather armor strewn about to protect the most vital of areas. Ruby didn't know the amber eyed girl, but considering the way she had spoken to Weiss, Ruby could only hope they had the same objective. Protect Weiss. Glad she hadn't used her enhanced speed during the fight, Ruby slowly walked towards the two bandits, putting her hands on her head.

"Ruby, don't-" a harsh slap echoed through the church. The girl in front of Weiss had spun around and slapped her. Both Ruby and the 'Ninja of the North' gritted their teeth in anger.

The girl turned back, gesturing for Ruby and the bandaged girl to come closer. Right as the girl brought the rope up to tie Ruby, she disappeared in a cloud of petals. Dashing towards the one holding Weiss hostage, she slammed her elbow into the girl's nose, sending her back into the church's walls. Letting the momentum carry her, Ruby jumped into and off the wall, preparing to kick downwards onto the other bandit, who was making a mad sprint towards Weiss in hopes of retaining their hostage. The bandit was stopped by the supposed ninja, who kicked her in the back of the knee, sending her on her knees. Ruby brought her foot down onto the bandit's head, knocking her out instantly.

"We need to get out of here, these aren't the only bandits in the area." The amber eyed girl said, pulling the bandages off her head, revealing long, black hair. And cat ears, Ruby noted with surprise.

Ruby looked at Weiss, who nodded. The three ran out of the church, straight into the awaiting forest. After about an hour of running, they finally came upon a campsite, and stopped.

Taking a second to regain their breaths, Weiss blurted out, "Blake, what in the world are you doing here?"

"What, no hello, how are you doing?" Blake replied sarcastically, though a slight smirk indicated her joking.

Weiss sighed. "Sorry, it's just that I wasn't expecting to see you all the way out here."

Blake nodded. "Yang and I decided to go in different directions along the wall, the tracks from the grimm that had carried you off stopped right before it."

"I see." A slight cough from her right reminded Weiss of Ruby's presence. "Oh right, you two haven't met. Blake, this is Ruby, a friend who helped save me, and Ruby, this is Blake, one of the members of my squad."

"Mind explaining what exactly happened?" Blake said, looking at Ruby.

* * *

By the time the explanation had finished, the sun was giving its last rays out into the sky. Weiss had been extra careful in keeping out the part of her feelings for the huntress in the group.

"Thank you Ruby, I'm glad Weiss ran into you."

Ruby didn't seem to notice, instead looking at the top of Blake's head. "They're… so… cute!"

Blake blushed, completely forgetting her ears were exposed. "Y-you're okay with me being what I am?"

Ruby tilted her head, confused. " A faunus? Why would I not be?"

Weiss shook her head at Blake and said, "You're wasting your time Blake, she didn't even recognize my name."

Blake let out a small chuckle, resting her eyes on the red and black clad huntress.

"So, who's this 'Yang' person and how do you all know each other?"

Weiss took up the explanation for Blake. Back when Weiss had first been introduced to the military, she had been placed in a squad with Blake and Yang. The three had been forced into their own little team, Weiss acting as their leader. The squad itself was special, comprised of people with unusual training in different areas, it only took a few months before the squad was sent out for real missions.

During that time, Weiss, Blake, and Yang had formed a companionship, being some of the few people who were able to put up with Weiss' frosty persona. One of the only major fallings out they had experienced was Blake revealing her faunus heritage, Weiss having a deep distrust for the faunus after her family had been attacked repeatedly by them.

It took a few days to resolve the situation, and the companionship bloomed into a friendship, enhanced more-so throughout the missions they carried out. Eventually Weiss was made squad leader, allowed to pick and take her own squad out, which lead to the events of Weiss' kidnapping, and the meeting with Ruby.

Ruby noted that Weiss didn't reveal much about either Blake or Yang, especially their past. Aside from the tale of how their friendship formed, there was nothing about where they came from before that. She decided it was better to not mention it, considering how she has yet to reveal her own past.

"It'd be best if we get some sleep, it'll take us quite a bit to rendezvous with Yang," Blake said, pulling herself towards her own fur bed. Ruby and Weiss nodded, lying down in their respective beddings.

* * *

Weiss rolled over, drearily opening her eyes. It was still night, though she could see the sky brightening by a tiny amount. The other two were still in their beds. Making sure to be as quiet as possible, Weiss got out of her bed, crawling over to Blake's. The cat ears on Blake's head popped up, indicating her consciousness.

Rolling over, Blake faced Weiss and whispered, "Weiss, good timing, we need to talk."

They both got up and walked a bit away from the camp.

Weiss stopped and turned towards Blake. ""What did you need to talk about?"

Blake looked over Weiss' shoulder at Ruby. "Her."

Weiss sighed. She had a feeling Blake would inquire about Weiss' decision in letting Ruby tag along. "I know, but it's just… I don't know what to do about it."

"Weiss, you do realize the more she stays with us, the more of a chance she'll get dragged into the mess known as the 'Schnee Family'? Me and the others knew full well when we agreed to ally ourselves with you."

"I-I know, but… I just…" Weiss stammered, conflicted feelings rampaging about.

"What is it Weiss? Why have you not done something that would've been so easy to do to anyone else?" Blake's voice was becoming more forceful. She knew Weiss rarely ever let her stress out, instead keeping it all tucked away inside, and this was the only way to break it open.

Weiss didn't say anything, staring at the suddenly interesting image of her foot.

Inside Blake, she felt guilt, knowing she'd have to dig up Weiss' past. "Listen, we both know what it's like to be lonely, we both had terrible upbringings, and you know what almost happened because I got too attached to someone who acted 'kind' to me. Now I'm not saying Ruby's acting, but for you to become like this, it's dangerous."

The heiress nodded, mouth frozen shut.

Blake placed a comforting hand on Weiss' shoulder. "Please, don't confuse yourself with being infatuated to her kindness."

The emotions raging inside Weiss simmered down, until a frozen feeling took hold inside her. Taking one more look at Ruby, she found that the feelings she had felt days ago seemed to no longer be there. _Blake's right, I didn't actually like her, I was just attracted to the way she treated me. I can't let my past experiences blind me like this._ Weiss looked back up at Blake, a sad smile present. "Thank you Blake."

"Of course, I am your friend after all," Blake said with a gentle tone, contrary to her previous forcefulness. "And what about Ruby?"

They both looked at Ruby, who was sleeping peacefully away. Ice blue eyes hardened, the owner ignoring the tiniest sliver of sadness at what she was about to say. "Once we reunite with the remainders of our squad, I'll… I'll end her journey with us."

Blake nodded, giving Weiss an apologetic look.

Weiss waved her hand, dismissing Blake's need to say sorry. "It's alright, you only did it with concern over me. It's just… nevermind. We should go to sleep, I don't want to keep the rest of them waiting for long, especially Yang."

The monochrome duo went to their beddings, Blake falling asleep in seconds. As Weiss was falling asleep, she gave Ruby one last glance. _I'm sorry Ruby, but I have to do it. For the sake of the kingdom… and my family._

 **A/N: Do you guys think I should be descriptive when it comes to clothing? I find that it just feels like a giant filler when I'm putting all that in, like in chapter one when I described Ruby and Weiss' outfit. In this case I'd go and actually describe each part of what Blake is wearing versus the super general description I gave her.**


	9. Reunion

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the reviews, and special thanks to Nekonyaneko, I'll definitely take that into consideration! What are your thoughts so far on the story? Good? Bad? Think a part can be improved? Send me a review or a PM, I want to grow as much as I can with my writing!**

* * *

"I'm glad none of you remembered to grab our weapons." Weiss said, sarcasm used to the fullest.

Blake, scuffing out the campfire, turned to Weiss and said, "Not all of us can compensate for you losing your weapon Weiss."

The heiress glared at Blake, who only shrugged. Blake was the only one out of the group who still had her weapon, mainly because she hadn't bothered bringing her weapon in with her, leaving it back at the camp.

Since the three girls had woken up, Weiss and Ruby remembered that their weapons had been taken from them, and decided they needed to head back and find them. Blake had told them that she had gone back in the middle of the night and found that the weapons were moved back into the town, though she was unsure of the specifics.

The sun shone brightly in the middle of the sky, clear sky providing a magnificent view for the trio in the clearing.

Ruby walked up to the pair, lightly giggling. "And what are you so happy about?" Weiss snarked out, clearly irritated over her mistake of forgetting their weapons.

"Isn't this the third time we've been in a forest camping? Kinda wonder how many more times it'll happen."

Weiss schooled her features, making sure to not let the guilt show. _If only Ruby knew, she wouldn't have asked that_.

"Let's go, we don't have much time left until they move out, they know we escaped and are probably worried we'll call for some sort of help." Blake called out, already heading back onto the path beside them, leading straight to the town.

Along the way, Ruby couldn't help wonder about Yang. The girl described by Weiss sounded a lot like someone she knew, but Ruby had only known the person by her last name, having never gotten to meet her. Her thoughts were cut short when the sight of the now familiar town came into view.

The trio headed into the trees outskirting the town, making sure to keep themselves hidden from any bystanders. Right at the edge of the outskirt, Blake turned to Ruby and Weiss. "Stick to cover, keep to the shadows, don't do any unnecessary movements. From what I could tell when I scouted the town out, the most probable location for your gear is at the inn in the middle of the town. We'll sneak in, grab the gear, and get out before anyone notices."

Ruby and Weiss nodded, and Blake held up her hand while looking at the town. Blake began counting down with her hand, until eventually it formed a fist, and the three ran quickly into the town.

Stealthily, or as stealthily as they could manage with Ruby complaining about being hungry, the three zipped around the shacks, zigzagging their way through alleys, slowly approaching the inn. From the way the town looked, no one seemed to actually live in the shacks, and Weiss had the feeling the bandits had something to do with it.

The three finally made it to the inn, huddled up behind it while trying to find a way to peek inside without getting noticed. Ruby looked up at the second floor windows, seeing one that was covered with a curtain from the inside. Blake and Weiss noticed Ruby's attention on the window.

"I think it's our safest bet." Ruby said, gaze still focused on the window.

Blake looked at Weiss, who nodded in trust. Weiss knew just how fast Ruby could be. Anyone inside that room would never be able to escape in time the moment the scythe wielder got them in her sights.

Ruby scampered up to the window, trying her best not to make any noise. Right before she finally reached the window, one foot slid a tiny bit on the wall. A muted yelp made its way to her ears, and she looked down to the sight of Weiss clasping her nose with both her hands. A tiny pebble had been scraped off the wall, falling directly on the heiress' nose. Ruby never found it so hard to not giggle until this moment.

Now that Ruby was up at the window, she realized this was the room Boss had brought them to. And luckily for them, the window was unlocked. Ruby edged the window open, keeping her sight trained on the slit between the gap in the curtain. She couldn't hear anything inside the room, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Finally, the window was fully open. Planting her feet on the wall below the window, she jumped off of it while still hanging onto the window, and then swung inside, letting her hands go. Ruby rolled inside the room, and quickly surveyed the scene. The room was the exact same as before, but one major difference was in it. Boss. He was sleeping right beside Ruby on the bed.

She walked silently back to the window and pulled back the curtains. Sticking her head out, she put her finger on her lip, telling Blake and Weiss to be silent when they entered.

Once all of them were in the room, they looked at Boss, wondering what to do about him. They could leave him there, but there was the risk of him waking up and figuring out there was an intruder. There was also- Blake and Weiss gaped. Ruby had walked up to the bedside, bringing her heel straight up into the air, and then back down onto Boss' head. The only noise made was the straining of the bedsprings, and after Ruby brought her heel back, it was quite clear he wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. _She's even more ruthless than me,_ Weiss thought, appalled at Ruby's actions.

Ruby flashed them a grin. Blake shook her head, making her way towards the door leading into the hallway. Leaning her ear against the door, she could hear conversations coming from down below in the main area of the inn. Carefully opening the door, she peeked her head out, relieved to see no one.

To say Blake was confused would be an understatement. There should've at least been guards patrolling throughout the town, but by the sounds of it every single bandit was downstairs. As Weiss and Ruby walked out after Blake into the hallway, they all stopped when a roaring laughter came from below. Black and white hair swiveled towards the stairs, both looking at it in disbelief.

Sighing, Blake walked towards the stairs, leaned over the railing and tilted her ears towards downstairs, Weiss standing slightly behind her. The laughter came again, followed by what could be assumed as a cup of ale slamming down.

"I thought you said she went in the opposite direction?" Weiss asked, pointedly looking at Blake.

Blake shrugged. "Don't ask me, this isn't the first time she's done this after all."

Ruby walked in between the two, also attempting to look down the stairs. "What's wrong? Does this mean our sneaky mission is over?"

Blake and Weiss didn't say anything, instead walking down the stairs. Ruby followed, a third laugh booming its way through her head.

Ruby was greeted to the sight of Weiss with a hand over her face and Blake attempting, but failing to hold in her giggles. In the main room all the bandits had gathered around one girl, long yellow hair flowing, sitting on a table. Bright purple irises came up from the bandits, widening as they settled on the three girls. A grin, so bright Ruby thought she was looking at the sun itself, burst open from the girl sitting on the table. One by one the bandits turned around, wondering what the mystery girl was looking at.

As the last bandit turned around, the girl subtly hopped off the table, walking up behind them. She flicked her wrists, golden arm guards extending to cover her fist, and cocked back her right arm as though to punch. "Ruby, you'd best duck."

Ruby barely had time to utter out a single word. "Huh?"

The golden haired girl punched down into the ground in front of her and an explosion burst forth, rocking the entire building as the bandits flew forward and into the wall beside the trio. The debris settled, any bandits still somehow conscious were groaning in agony, unable to move.

Weiss and Blake followed the girl, who was walking outside of the inn, Ruby hesitantly trailing behind. "Did you have to make such a mess? You do realize that's coming out _my_ pocket?" Weiss' voice shot out, directed towards the back of the girl.

Once they all stepped outside of the inn, the girl turned around, arm guards retracting. Standing with her hands on her hips, the three flinched as the roof collapsed behind them. The girl looked at them, cheeky grin on her face. "Well, that was a thing!"


	10. Sisters

**A/N: Wahoo, we're back to daily updates! Thank you again everyone for the lovely reviews! Also a bit of a warning from here on out, the story is going to get a lot darker, and I mean _a lot_.**

Ruby watched the two bickering back and forth. Blake walked ahead of them, not wishing to be caught in the crossfire while she lead them to the nearest outpost.

"Besides, I had it all under control!"

"Under control Yang? You caused the roof to cave in! You could've killed us!"

Yang gave Weiss a sidelong glance. "But I didn't!"

" _But_ you could have." Weiss growled, clearly becoming more irritated with Yang.

"Ah well, that's all in the past, no need to worry about it anymore."

Weiss sighed, rubbing her temples. "I'm more worried about what you might cause in the future."

Yang giggled, then gave a look Weiss was all too familiar with. Before Weiss could shout at her to not say it, Yang said, "Well don't you worry your little butt off… _Weiss_ queen."

Angrily, Weiss stomped off ahead, opting to walk beside Blake. Ruby let out a giggle of her own, attracting the attention of the blonde haired girl, who spun around while staring at her.

Blake and Weiss also stopped, wondering what Yang was doing. "That reminds me, how in the world did you know Ruby's name? I have yet to even introduce the both of you." Weiss said, clearly suspicious.

Yang however ignored Weiss, still looking over Ruby. "U-um… yeah I was kinda wondering that too." Ruby squeaked out under Yang's careful observation.

Yang's eyes jumped up to meet Ruby's, a mixture of sadness and happiness. "You… you really don't recognize me?"

Ruby shook her head. "The only people I can remember are mom, dad, uncle Qrow, and my sis-" her voice stopped, memories of bright golden hair and a grin filled with sunshine playing in her mind.

Yang's eyes brimmed with tears. "It really is you, after all these years of searching. I… when dad told me you left without me… I just couldn't… I didn't." Her voice gave out, unable to continue, tears breaking out.

Ruby walked up to Yang, gently wiping away her tears. "I'm so sorry Yang, I wanted to say goodbye, but if I didn't leave then, I wouldn't have been able to become what I am now. I missed you so much."

"B-but why, why did you leave? What was wrong with our family? What was wrong with me?"

Ruby looked aghast, having not realized how her disappearance would look to her family. "Oh Yang, there was nothing wrong with you or our family. I just… I couldn't stand it."

Yang's eyes desperately searched Ruby's. "Stand what?"

"I couldn't stand letting mom's dream die." Silence took over.

The sisters both stood there, tears plodding softly onto the dirt below them. Weiss glanced over at Blake, realizing the both of them were trying their best to stifle their own tears.

"I still love you Yang, I always have and I always will."

Yang nodded happily. Slowly, she stuck her arms out to Ruby, but hesitated. One last look at Ruby's face crushed her hesitation, and she flung herself into her little sister, swinging the both of them around in circles as they hugged each other. Blake turned around, walking away a bit while she sniffled heavily, unable to bear the sight of the sisters laughing and crying at the same time while they shouted their love for each other. Weiss watched on. _A Schnee shall not cry! N-no matter… no matter… Agh I give up!_ Weiss spun around, hurrying to catch up with Blake, leaving the sisters alone.

* * *

After the reunion, they began on their path once more, heading to the nearest military outpost to give news of the bandits. It had turned out that Yang had sent the rest of the squad to go in the other direction, while secretly following Blake's trail. Of course, Yang wouldn't dare admit she feared for the cat faunus' safety, instead saying she got bored without Blake.

Weiss and Blake watched out of the corner of their eyes as Yang bonked Ruby on the head, asking how in the world she had forgotten Yang's name. It turned out that Ruby as a child used to call Yang by her full name, but because Ruby's name was 'Ruby Rose', she'd call her 'Yang Rose'. Their father had gotten Ruby to start calling Yang by her actual last name, 'Xiao Long', in an effort to get her to learn it was not the same, but with how often Ruby only called her by her last name, it caused the young girl to forget Yang's first name after so many years of separation. Weiss had asked why their last names were different, finding out the two were actually step-sisters, having the same father, but different mother.

Weiss couldn't help the small smile lighting up her face, watching Ruby sleep peacefully on Yang's lap, cuddling into the blonde's hand that was resting softly in her hair. Yang had taken off her plate and chainmail armor, letting Ruby snuggle into her short woolen trousers. The four had been given a tent of their own upon arriving at the military outpost. The soldiers were preparing to move out the day after, letting the four have their much needed rest from their constant adventures.

Weiss laid back down on her cot, staring up at the ceiling. Her conversation with Blake kept echoing throughout her mind. The discovery of the two being sisters made it all the more reason for the heiress to leave Ruby behind, but at the same time made it all the harder. It was no longer a matter of convincing Ruby, but Yang as well. _Not only that, but to have to separate them when they just found each other. I can't imagine how I would react if someone did that to Winter and I_. A slight ruffle from the cot occupied by Blake made her look over. Amber eyes looked intensely back into ice blue. The cat faunus nodded slightly, Weiss returning with her own hesitant one.

Weiss knew the road she was bringing the others on. This was only the beginning, and it was only going to get darker from here on out. _That's right, it's my family's darkness that will cause harm to us. I can't let it affect anymore than necessary_. Even though her mind could logically accept the idea of leaving Ruby, her heart didn't seem to take it well. In the end, Weiss fell asleep, filled with feelings of dread and loneliness.

* * *

The next day the soldiers returned, bringing along the still unconscious bandits tied up. A few separated from the squad, returning the weapons they found hidden in the inn to Ruby and Weiss. The squeal that came from Ruby after reacquiring Crescent Rose almost made Weiss end their companionship right there on the spot.

Once the four were satisfied that all the bandits had been caught, they began discussing what to do next, or at least would have had it not been for a certain heiress' realization. Making sure Ruby was thoroughly distracted with her weapon, the three girls turned to each other.

"Yang, what exactly happened once I was… kidnapped?"

Yang and Blake looked at each other, before giving Weiss a distraught look. "Are you sure you wanna hear it now Weiss? We've still got more time to rest," Yang said uncertainly.

Weiss shook her head. "I'm the leader of this squad, it's my duty to know, even in the worst of circumstances, the state of my soldiers."

Yang sighed, but right before she could speak, Blake gently laid her on on Yang's arm. An unspoken conversation passed between them, and eventually Yang turned around, heading over to a group of nearby soldiers. Blake turned to Weiss. "We lost exactly half of the squad."

Weiss' eyes trailed downwards, gritting her teeth. "Who… who made it?"

"Jaune, Cardin, Ren, Dove, Sky, Reese, and Bolin."

Anger coursed through Weiss. Reality was a harsh mistress. Despite all the adventures she had with Ruby, the truth was that she had failed, not only as a Schnee, but as a person. People, _her_ people, had died. _Neptune, Russell, Nadir, Arslan, Velvet._ With each name came an image of their face, smiling around the campfire as the squad sang a song, Weiss watching happily in the background.

"Weiss, please don't blame yourself, there's no way you could've known we'd be ambushed."

Weiss' hands curled, knuckles whitening. "I've been targeted all my life, I should've expected at least _something_ to happen." She shook her head at Blake, stopping her friend from countering. "I'm sorry Blake… I… need some time to myself."

Blake nodded. "Don't forget Weiss, we're always here for you, just as I'm sure Ruby is."

Weiss watched solemnly as Blake joined Yang and the soldiers.

"Hey Weiss, everything alright?"

Ruby bounced on her feet, tilting her head, waiting for Weiss to answer, but was disappointed as the heiress turned away from her and walked away.

Ruby sighed. She knew she could only try her best to cheer up the three girls. _The world is truly a dark place, I can only hope they take it better than I did._ Silver eyes hardened, grim memories flashing through her mind. Crying. Screaming. The blood. Ruby shook her head harshly, trying her best to rid herself of the death plaguing her mind. Sighing again, she walked back towards their tent.


	11. The Squad

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the kind reviews, especially some of those latest ones, couldn't help chuckling at those. Like I said in the last AN, this story is going to be getting progressively dark, this chapter also marks the end of the first arc. I'm still not fully sure where the second arc will go, but I don't plan on letting up anytime soon.**

* * *

Ruby and Yang talked animatedly as the four traversed the path. After their stay at the outpost, they set off towards the small merchant town, Acherusia, the rendezvous point that Blake had given to the squad when they had split.

Weiss for the most part stayed silent, thoughts of her fallen comrades still in her mind. Ruby worriedly glanced over, but her attention was pulled away by Yang's stories.

Blake, like before, was leading them, her enhanced vision as a faunus letting her see far more than any of the rest of the group, Ruby and Yang in the middle, while Weiss took up the rear guard.

The failure that Weiss felt was immense. Over and over she was being saved by others. Four times she had been saved by Ruby, the last including Blake. Wasn't a leader supposed to be stronger? Supposed to be able to protect those around them? Then why is it she was the one constantly in need of help?

At first she had been angry at Ruby, angry at the others. Weiss had thought it was their fault that she was forced into these positions, but gradually it turned into a burning discovery. _I'm weak._ The thought circled her head once more. She had tried to rationalize that the circumstances were just so unlucky, that she shouldn't be to blame for it, but that had been shot down when Weiss had found out that Ruby hadn't actually been knocked unconscious in the inn. The huntress had been 'knocked out' right beside the door, where she placed her mouth underneath the crack, breathing in the normal air instead of the poisonous.

Visions of her father, her fallen teammates, and her sister filled her mind. One image in particular came to the forefront. _Velvet_. Since Weiss was the leader of the squad, it was her duty to tell any loved ones and relatives what had happened to her soldiers. For Velvet, there was only one person she would have to tell, Coco Adel.

Coco had been the first friend of Velvet, the two sharing an extremely close bond, especially after Coco defended Velvet against faunus haters. Velvet had enlisted alone, against Coco's protests, to join the Atlesian army. Despite that, the two remained close, eventually becoming romantically involved with each other. The worst part of it all, was that Coco had personally come all the way up to the capital and straight to Weiss' face, making the heiress promise to bring Velvet back to her. Weiss remembered all too well the way she had looked back into the fashionista's eyes, fervently promising the safe return of Coco's beloved. Now, she would be the one to tell her the failure of the promise.

Unbeknownst to Weiss, Yang and Blake were feeling the exact same way. The difference was that the two were better at hiding their grief, especially Yang, who wouldn't dare show it in front of Ruby.

"Halt, state your names and your reason of entering."

Weiss was startled, eyes looking up to see two guards with halberds crossed in an x in front of the gate. They had arrived. She walked to the front of the group, pulling out her identification papers from her pack, the guards' eyes widening and jaws dropping. Immediately the two bowed down, letting the group enter.

The four stopped in a crossroad, looking in all directions. The sun shone down on the four from directly above, the sweltering heat becoming too much for the heiress to bear. "Blake, where did you say we were meeting at again?" Weiss asked hurriedly, wanting to get out of the heat as soon as possible.

Blake tapped her chin for a second, the name coming back to memory. "I think it's called 'Golden Hammer', it's an inn, should be close to the center of the town."

The four once again looked out at each of the four paths, unsure of which one to take. Their decision was made when Blake began smelling enormous amounts of pancakes. Ruby asked why pancakes would mean they're going in the right direction, and Blake replied with one word. "Ren."

Their assumption was confirmed as the inn came into sight, and they swept inside. Ruby was astounded to see in a corner of the inn a tower of pancakes in front of a short, blonde haired man. The four made their way towards the table, Ruby taking note of the other occupants. Besides the blonde haired man sat six other people, one of them being female. One by one they noticed the group approaching, waving their hands at them.

A girl with light green hair stood up, waving energetically more than the rest. "Weiss! It's good to see you're alright."

The rest of the people at the table stood up, each stating their relief of Weiss' safety. Weiss turned to Ruby, introducing her to the rest of the group. Jaune, Cardin, Reese, Sky, Dove, and Bolin, each one giving Ruby a brief handshake, except for Reese who simply hugged Ruby. The group sat down at the table, Reese excitedly asking Ruby questions about her huntress activities, Jaune listening in.

A sudden statement brought the group back to Remnant. "They weren't bandits." Eyes all around the table stared at Weiss. Ruby almost gagged at the dark aura that seemed to come from the group, several pairs of eyes turning downcast, others looking straight ahead in anger, and a few with guilt wringing their hands.

"Leave it up to you to turn afternoon sour Weiss, geez."

Weiss turned her head angrily on Yang's. "And what do you propose? Waste our night on frivolous activities? Our friends died out there and instead of finding out who did this you want to play games and relax?"

Lilac eyes turned slightly red, Yang's voice turning grimly serious. "Yes, I know our friends just died, and I realize you want to go straight out to kill whoever the hell did it, but losing our own lives in the process won't help anyone! For Dust's sake Weiss, look at Jaune!"

Weiss eyes widened. The poor rookie was shaking, head in his hands, eyes squeezing shut, while beads of sweat rolled their way down his forehead. Ren gently put his hand on Jaune's shoulder. "C'mon Jaune, let's take a walk outside."

The group watched as the two went outside, Jaune's fearful eyes etched into each of their faces. "How can you expect us to triumph over the ones that brought some of ours to their graves, when we're so fearful of the graves ourselves?"

Ruby watched on, one hand clutching her chest, pain filling her heart. She wanted so desperately to hug every single one of them, but she knew they needed to work it out themselves.

Weiss' hands tightened on the edge of the table, furiously glaring at Yang, neither one backing down.

"Y'know, I don't think I've ever regretted anything in my life before… until today."

All eyes turned towards the source of the voice. Cardin.

"W-why… why did she have to die, huh? Why did I have to treat her so badly? Why couldn't I have been a better person dammit!?" By the end Cardin was shouting, slamming his fists down on the table, tears streaming out of his eyes. "Why couldn't I have taken her place?"

Reese softly poked Cardin's cheek, letting out a small 'boop' from her throat "S-sorry, I just thought… she would've done it as well i-if she was here." She attempted to giggle, but after failing miserably, she simply nodded towards the door. The two got up, walking out of the inn.

A second of silence, then Bolin too got up. "I'd better watch over them, please try to be easier on yourselves."

And then there was four. Slowly, Weiss brought her forehead to rest on the table, not wanting to let the others see the anguish in her eyes.

"Listen Weiss, we're all angry and sad over what happened, so just… just get some rest, okay?" For once, Yang's voice sounding so tired, so lifeless. Weiss didn't need to look up to know Yang and Blake had left.

Raising her head up, tears blotched her vision of the table underneath her. She felt warmth wrap it's way around her, tired eyes locking with silver. No words passed between the two, simply sitting there and listening to the sounds of others making their way through the inn.

* * *

Blake stared up into the ceiling, tuning out the noises of late nighters. Her thoughts returned to yesterday, conversations between two happy sisters filling her mind. She had tried sleeping, but every time she awakened from images of either of the sisters, bloody faces asking her why she let the other die.

Whenever she saw the two together, her entire body told her they needed to be separated, lest the forces that chased after Weiss catch the both of them too. _But does that make it fine to forsake the other?_ Blake reeled, the mysterious voice cutting through all thought. She shook her head violently, not realizing how close she was to the edge of the bed. The pain didn't seem to register as she fell off, laying down on her side. Sobs wracked through Blake as she pulled her knees to her chest, hoping for a dreamless sleep, unaware of lilac eyes that focused on her sounds through the wall, inadvertently sharing the pain.

* * *

 **A/N Cont'd: I was wondering if anyone could help me out with being my beta? My last one just recently told me he can no longer do it due to time constraints. If any of you are interested, please send me a PM and we can talk about it there, I'd greatly appreciate it. Have a good day folks!**


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